World crumbles for shamed girl

Ever since their first child was born in 2002, the parents of the girl, who was forced to lick her own urine by the hostel warden, dreamt of admitting their daughter to Visva-Bharati.

| TNN | Updated: Jul 11, 2012, 03:15 IST

SHANTINIKETAN: Ever since their first child was born in 2002, the parents of the girl, who was forced to lick her own urine by the hostel warden, dreamt of admitting their daughter to Visva-Bharati. Little did they know then that what they had craved for years will turn into a nightmare for the entire family so soon.
"I wanted her to grow up with Gurudev's ideals and the ethos that Visva-Bharati stood for. So when she got admitted to Class II in Patha Bhavan — the school that Rabindranath Tagore had started in 1901 — it was a dream come true," she recounted to TOI at her Makrampur residence on Tuesday.

Though her husband was initially reluctant to send his daughter to the boarding school since she had this bad habit of bed-wetting, the mother's wish had prevailed. She had reasoned that their daughter would grow up one day and be cured. "Why rob her of this chance to get educated in an institution that so many crave for but few actually get the opportunity? In any case, we lived nearby and could meet her every week," she had reasoned.

That dream lasted a little over two years. On Saturday evening, the world suddenly came crumbling down when she called warden Uma Poddar to enquire how her daughter was. Since the hostel landline was out of order, she called on the warden's cellphone. Poddar took the call and told her that she had made her daughter lick the soiled bedsheet early that morning as an antidote to her frequent wetting in sleep. "I am not in Santiniketan. Call the other warden to speak to your daughter," she told her.

The shocked mother immediately called warden Tanuja Khatoon, who assured her that the girl was fine. When she insisted that she wanted to speak to her, the warden reluctantly put the child on the line. Hearing her mother's voice, the girl broke into sobs. "She refused to stay in the hostel as she was deeply ashamed of what had happened," she recalled.

The parents, with some of their relatives, reached the hostel around 9pm but found the gate closed. After repeated knocks, the warden emerged with the child. "I pleaded to Tanuja to allow me in but she refused. It was only around 11.30pm that the school vice-principal arrived and said we could not take their daughter away at night. But we said were lodging a complaint and taking our daughter away," the mother recounted. Eventually, the vice-principal relented but Tanuja lodged a complaint against them.

"I will not go back. I am afraid they will again make me do the same thing. I am also ashamed to confront others, including my class and hostel mates. Everyone will stare at me, knowing what I had been forced to do," she told TOI on Tuesday.

She also revealed that the same warden had tried to make her lick soiled bedsheets twice in the past but she had remained silent fearing further punishment. "I had pleaded with her on both occasions and she had finally let me go. But on Saturday morning, she held my head and forced me down on to the wet bedsheet," she said.

Till Monday, the girl had barely spoken. When she did, she would look down at the floor, shame written all over her face. "She wouldn't even look me in the eye while speaking. I explained she had done nothing wrong to be ashamed of. But she remained very quiet. She has also barely eaten since Saturday. Doctors asked us to ensure that she stays jovial. I wonder though, is this what remains of Tagore's ideals? Millions worship the poet all over the world but here it is not my daughter but Gurudev who has been shamed," said the visibly distraught mother.

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